Not feeling great, but wanted to give a quick updated on my Guardian’s status. Right now Desderata is sitting at just under level 65 and almost able to use the new armor set hanging out in her bags.

I’m really looking forward to logging in though and seeing what’s going on in the world. It looks like the patch that landed today includes more of those vines I saw in the Brisbane Wildlands and Kessex hills. Since they are only in those two zones I really want to know if they are working on making their way towards Lion’s Arch or if they’re going to spread into the surrounding zones.

Now with all of 15 levels before I can wander into the new zone and do more than unlock the first Waypoint I’m really starting to get antsy about learning more.

Thing is though I am going to be helping some guildies level more squishy characters with my Guardian so it might take a bit. On the upside since the story journal has been added, if we don’t get a chance to get to it now, hopefully I’ll be able to see it later.

Until next time I hope everyone is enjoying themselves wherever they find fun and friendship.

As of this moment my Guardian Desderata Geist is sitting at level 59. Mostly because I have to do my IRL dailies before getting in more exploration.

I made my first encounter today with the Entangled living story content in Brisbane Wildlands. There is a new area south of Toxal Bog called Tangle Root. I’ll leave it to you to see just what goes on there. Personally I’d like to know more about it. Especially why the Seraph have a presence there.

All through the Brisbane Wildlads I saw a lot more of the Asura Waypoints wrapped in these kind of intimidating looking vines. As well as some content including bandits and other entangling vines that I don’t remember seeing before on my previous journeys through the zone.

If you make your way to Kessex hills you’ll also see the vines poking and sparking the Asura Waypoints. Aside of course from the Halacon Waypoint that is also all wrapped up in a nasty looking vine. Continue reading

Right now I’m cooking, but while I’m cooking I’ll make a quick post to update my Guardian status. Right now she’s about 45, chances are if I use some food buffs I’ll be at 50 by log out time tonight. Maybe a little less but definitely 50 tomorrow.

By the way here’s a quick tidbit of useful info. If you don’t know using food to help boost stats is also a great way to get a small xp boost depending on the food you use.

Seriously, you can almost break wind and level in Guild Wars 2. Personally I find it rather nice.

You can also use some pretty helpful boosts as well like Sharpening Stones (weaponsmithing), Tuning Crystals (artificing) and Maintenance Oils (huntsman). These skills will not only give you stat boots based on your current stats but they ALSO give you an XP boost.

You’ll just want to spend some time hanging out in areas where you can get a lot of the dusts you use to make these, if you want to craft them. Otherwise they go for a reasonable price on the AH since a lot of people craft it just to help level then flog it.

You can use one of those along with any food at any one time to give yourself a stat boost as well as giving yourself an XP buff. So that gives you a nice double boost at any one time.

If you know a cook you can bribe for noms that is always handy. Otherwise food generally goes for pretty reasonable prices on the AH because people level cooking and don’t always use the food. At least at the lower levels.

Bro tip: if you can get your hands on the magic find food that’s even better. You can use that to help boost your magic find by a small percentage. It’s not much but if you can manage to eek out finding one yellow grade item or so a day you can make some handy cash flogging it on the AH.

If you’re crafting that kind of cash can help you out quite a bit in getting some of the little things you need to eek through that next level.

Currently I’m sitting at 169 Weaponsmithing. Mostly I’m leveling Weaponsmithing to be able to make Sharpening Stones for use at level 80. The extra power they’ll give based on the amount of Toughness and Vitality I’ll want to equip my Guardian with will hopefully give my hammer a little more oomph.

Until Next time I’m going to be exploring Tyria and hopefully getting around to completing the storyline quests to get Desderata into the Vigil. I really want the armor skins and weapon skins for a cool level 80 look I’m going for.

So I think I’m in love with the Guild Wars 2 Guardian class. Desderata Geist, my Sylvari Guardian, is sitting at level 33 and I’m really starting to get a feel for what the class has to offer.

Thing is that the Guardian class is incredibly slow to ramp up. You really don’t start to get a feel for just how much they can do (at least for me) until you get all of the slots unlocked around 20. Getting your Elite unlocked at 30 makes you feel pretty effing heroic.

Though if you just want to play a more paladin themed sword and board class then the Guardian is for you. I just need to finally admit to myself that I really do enjoy more paladin oriented classes. Even if sometimes they can be a right pain in the backside to level.

In the past I’ve rarely been able to get a Guardian past level 20. I usually burn out somewhere around 19 or so and can’t bring myself to make the last few levels.

This time I used a birthday booster on Desderata to get an instant boost to 20. Honestly I think that has made all the difference in the world. Running around with just the hammer and mace/shield probably would have bored me to tears by now as it has in the past.

I also have more motivation to level a Guardian this go round since I wanted to have a beefy class to help my guild mates level. The Guardian has made a big difference in group leveling. I’ve been able to take aggro off my guild mates and buff them up to do more damage. That and the speed boosts are pretty handy as well.

Rolling Guardian has also been a bit of a change of pace for me. I kind of phone it in when I’m playing some of the GW2 classes, but I can’t really do that when I’m up close and personal with veterans and champions. When you’re front line it’s best to not let your guard down.

One prime example is when we ran headlong into the Giant at Nageling in the Diessa Plateau during a play session last night. I enjoyed it quite a bit though it was REALLY hairy especially for my guild mates.

I spent most of the time trying to keep the Giant’s attention on me and toss out whatever buffs weren’t on cooldown. I really need to get into the practice of using them on prolonged fights. I also need to determine what slot skills I want to use to help keep everyone up and on the champion. That’s easier said than done, but I’m hoping I can get it down.

I did work on using my Virtues to pump out regeneration, protection and aegis. I also used my shouts to absorb conditions, hand out aegis and give myself enough buffs to pump out some damage. Having my elite skill Renewed Focus also helped since that brought my Virtues back up and kept me from taking damage for a short time. Which can mean the difference between getting in another hit and taking a dirt nap when you’re standing toe to toe with a giant.

I’m not totally set on my build as of yet, but I think I like where I’m going with it and I still love the weapon combo I’m working with.

So far the best part about my Guardian is that I’m enjoying soloing on this class just as much as grouping. Honestly with a buff bot I figured that I’d be a sitting duck if I decided to do any content by myself.

With the Guardian it does take me longer to kill things, but due to their heartiness they can take a bit of a beating too. That means I’m able to solo some situations that I would have been kiting like mad on some of the other classes. I did that quite a bit with the Engineer and Mesmer. The Thief I didn’t really enjoy playing solo. It’s all personal taste mind you so if you do enjoy it, keep at it and more power to you.

Honestly I can’t wait to get to level 80 and put my Guardian in some spikey armor. I have a thing for spikes.

Until next time I hope you’re having a blast in whatever you’re choosing to play. I’ll be on Ring of Fire with my friends and fams in Brothers of Something Something [BOSS].

My husband and I always talk about making and leveling a Guardian. Guardians can be tough to level because they just don’t give you the powerful offensive feeling that a lot of the other classes in GW2 have. Well outside of the Engineer and the Mesmer. Those classes start out kind of bland but give you more bang for the buck once you get into traiting them.

This time around though I’m not playing a guardian to have a heavy hitting class. If I wanted a heavy armored power house I’d level the Warrior.

I like the idea of playing a defensive, healing, buffing Guardian. In GW2 there are no specific healing classes or taking classes. The Guardian can be a little healing and a little tanking, but it doesn’t fall into the traditional holy trinity rules. That of course is one of the reasons I love playing GW2. If you’re low on health in GW2 that’s your problem, pop your heal and roll out of the damage, problem solved.

The other interesting mechanic in GW2 are buffs and debuffs. Now debuffs or dots are downright killers in GW2 and you want to make sure you have at least one debuff removal on you at all times if you’re going up against mobs like Krait or Risen. Those bastards are mean and deadly. The nice thing about the Guardian is that they have a lot of debuff removal skills that don’t require extra traiting or tweaking. That makes them idea for going up against these types of mobs.

The reverse of that would be buffs. Buffs can be the secret sauce in GW2 combat. They can give you that little extra edge of survivability as well as giving you an extra combat edge. Downside is that many buffs have to be actively triggered through abilities or slot skills. It can take a time to work out just how and when to use them, but once you do it becomes hard to live without them. The Guardian can be a buffing machine if you trait into it correctly and in little ways even without traiting. That makes them ideal for group support.

I’m looking forward to creating a Guardian support/buff/damage sponge build that I can use to help keep my friends alive as we take on everything Tyria has to throw at us. The downside is that I will have to work at doing just enough damage to get loot credit, but I still like the idea of having a more supporting class. If you’re looking for a heavy hitting Guardian build I’m sure there’s some out there, but I’d have to direct you to the GW2 forums to find those.

At the moment my preferred Guardian weapon combo so far is a Hammer with Mace/Shield combo. The Hammer dishes out through very gratifying big bash action. The Mace/Shield is more or less my emergency duo for when I have a bunch of mobs on me at once or I’m fighting something that’s starting to drain my health pool. It may not do quite as much damage, but being able to stand toe to toe with a lot of mobs and beat the tar out of them is really, really gratifying.

Eventually I plan on going with power/vitality/toughness armor and working with that to do at least solid damage and be able to take a few blows. Not from everything of course, it’s still GW2 and there’s some mobs that cut through plate armor like a hot knife through butter. If you have enough vitality you can keep rolling but if you don’t then it’s time for repairs.

In the long term I do intend on finishing up the Necromancer. That goal hasn’t changed. I have noticed however that I can only play on a Necromancer for so long before I feel the need to play another class. This happens pretty much every time. Chances are I’ll probably level back and forth between the Guardian and the Necromancer.

Even with 3 level 80 toons, I still don’t really feel like I have a solid “main” character in Guild Wars 2. I guess I just love being able to change classes at will.

For now though the Guardian will hopefully help me and my friends battle through Tyria. Not to mention give me a better perspective on melee combat in GW2 which the Thief gives you a taste for but really differs when you delve into the two heavy armored classes.

The race is on, which character will keep my attention long enough to reach 80 first. Will it be the Necromancer or the Guardian? Only time will tell.

At the moment my Necromancer Epona Rhi is sitting at level 63 and at around Tailoring 300. That means I’m up to Silk tailoring which is nice since it’s a lot easier to get your hands on Silk.

Well silk seems easier to get your hands on once you’re roaming Orr a bit. That is my husband’s favorite zone so we spend a lot of time there on higher level characters when he gets and itch to bash risen.

At the moment I am really enjoying just putting on music and wandering through zones picking up skill challenges and vistas. I stop for random events when they pop up close by and always try to pop in to help out with the local champion when I see it.

I really want to work at unlocking as much of the map as possible in at least way points and vistas. I’m not super worried about making map completionist, I just want to be able to go where ever I want.

I also found a pretty neat little cave yesterday out in Diessa Plateau over by Nolan. There’s a random hidden strawberry garden that is pretty killer for screenshots. It is a bit of an unofficial jumping puzzle, but if you like going off the beaten path it’s worth the trouble.

I’d recommend putting on a speedboost of some kind before going, it makes the jumping a lot less of a hassle.

Here’s a peek at what I found:

Go toward the light!

I have a post on Guild Wars 2 combat brewing in my head. If anyone has any combat questions they’d like some info on just buzz me here, twitter, in game, where ever. Keep in mind though I can give you tips for surviving against what the PvE world has to throw at you much more so than some other aspects of the game. If that’s your bag then I can help you get a leg up. Otherwise I can point you to the forums for WvW, PvP and instance content builds.

Until I get that post worked out I will probably be randomly exploring Tyria. That also includes helping people level, collecting crafting materials for AH sales and even some map chatter. Here’s hoping that you’re having a blast wherever gaming takes you.

First off I should make the disclaimer that I love crafting. I am a big fan of games that offer a solid crafting system and Guild Wars 2 is no exception.

Now in most games crafting is pretty much a gold and time sink.

You don’t always get gear good for your class.

You can end up spending a lot of money on components.

You take time away from leveling because you’re in the city and not doing quests or killing mobs.

So crafting in many MMOs is something that you wait until end game to do when you have more cash and time on your hands. Guild Wars 2 breaks from that tradition. Though crafting is still a gold sink, it can be more rewarding to craft while leveling than in most MMOs.

First of all, crafting in GW2 doesn’t mean that you stop leveling. Even when crafting you can’t escape getting XP. Without swapping trade skills you might not be able to fully level a character exclusively through two trade skills, but you can put quite a few levels on a character while making armor for profit or personal use.

A good portion of my Necromancer’s levels game directly out of crafting. It has really reduced the grind for me since I enjoy having peaceful moments in the city to just relax. This also means that I don’t feel as though I’m wasting time while crafting, because my character is still progressing in levels.

Secondly, when crafting you can choose the item stats. You may not be able to mix and match for the exact stats you would like to have, but you do have several options to choose from.

Customizing your armor for your playstyle can make all the difference in the world. It can make leveling out in the world a lot easier, especially when soloing groups of mobs or skill challenge veterans. While better gear won’t make you a better player in GW2, it can give you more wiggle room in survivability and overall damage output. You can also see which types of armors sell for the most on the AH and then recycle your old armor at a profit.

Third on the list we have the gold sink aspect of crafting. Usually the gold sink aspect is enough to bankrupt me in most games because I’m so focused on leveling a craft that I have a hard time keeping tabs on my gold. That can be a problem. In GW2 though, if you’re a crafty consumer you can save yourself some coin and recover some costs if you’re careful in your crafting.

When making armor or weapons you usually need the one piece that determines the stats of the item and two crafted pieces that form the item. For a chest piece you would need an insignia, the padding and the shell.

If you check the AH it can be sometimes cheaper to buy the insignia if you don’t have all the components required to make them. Usually the components go for a bit more. Sell what you have, then buy a whole insignia.

Same can be said for the padding and the shell items. If it costs 1 silver to pick up the chest padding, but it costs 2 silver for one piece of linen, then might as well save the linen you have for the rest of the armor and pick up the chest padding. This will save you those last pieces of linen you can use to make the less fabric intensive pieces of armor.

You can check the AH directly from the crafting table by right clicking on either the crafted components or the required materials.

Also a quick side note. If you make green items and don’t put runes in them they aren’t souldbound. That means you’ll be able to use them until you’re too big for them and then flog them on the AH.

If you put runes in them to boost your skills then they will be soulbound. That leaves you with two choices, vendoring them or salvaging them. Personally I’d salvage them. That usually helps to complete a monthly requirement and you can flog the components on the AH.

Everyone in the game can harvest. As long as you have tools that are the correct level for the harvestable item. This means that if you take the time to do some harvesting for yourself, it can go a long way in helping keep your costs down. Just bear in mind the tool cost, as you get higher in level they get more expensive.

If you want to gather all of the crafting components yourself that is an option. If you have a guild to help you, that saves a lot of time and energy. Otherwise the AH can be a handy if sometimes costly resource to help you get the materials you need. It just means trading off materials you don’t use to help make up the costs.

Personally I am getting a lot further in my Tailoring goals on my Necromancer. I am currently at around 250 Tailoring. That means I am really only at the halfway mark. I have a goal to craft one piece of ascended leggings so I have quite a bit of work ahead of me.

Until next time I’ll be working on level 60 on my Necromancer which is pretty much just around the bend as well as crafting 300. I’m working on little steps at a time. Hopefully you’re enjoying GW2 or your game of choice.

I was watching a vid earlier today on Everquest Next. A lot of folks tell their stories about how a game changed their lives. A lot of games do this in a number of ways, some more than others.

The question is, which game grabbed you and made you believe that games were for you? Which game did you start playing that you consider to be your own virtual playground?

For me it did start with World of Warcraft, I started too late to be on the Everquest or even Everquest 2 band wagon. The one game I called home more so than any other game I can say was Fallen Earth. Though granted it’s currently not what it used to be. That of course makes me more sad than anything else. I was hoping to get that feeling back again with Guild Wars 2. Which by the way is a solid MMO that puts into practice a lot of the things I’ve complained about right here on this blog. Thing is though, while I was working on my fourth level 80, I really didn’t feel the desire to finish leveling up. I am not a fan of grind based end game content or chasing achievements. Not that any of it is a bad thing, a lot of people like it, but it’s just not for me. I’ll probably check out Guild Wars 2 again once they have player housing.

For now though I have enough responsibility on my plate and speaking of which I need to finish some work for today. Before I go however, I wanted to post this up and ask the question, what game where you in when you just felt like home?